'Cowboys & Aliens' Never Really Gains Wings by Movie Reviewers on Creators.com

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'Cowboys & Aliens' Never Really Gains Wings

"Cowboys & Aliens," on paper, sounds like the ultimate geek extravaganza. The director, Jon Favreau, put "Iron Man" — once feared an unmarketable superhero — on the cinematic map. The writers boast essential sci-fi credits, such as "Lost," "Star Trek" and "Fringe." This pet project has the producer's seal of approval from Steven Spielberg and Ron Howard. And they got freakin' Han Solo and James Bond to star!

So why does this extraterrestrial Western feel so pedestrian?

Perhaps it was a victim of its own hype. Perhaps the heralded individuals behind the film tried so hard to pander to their separate built-in audiences that it became too disjointed. Maybe the desire to be true to the sci-fi and Western genres resulted in missing the opportunity to really invoke something fresh for the summer screens.

The intentions were good though. Casting Daniel Craig as the amnesiac rogue Jake Lonergan (that name might have been suggested by Damon Lindelof, the "Lost" alum whose character roster included symbolically loaded monikers such as John Locke and Christian Shephard) is applause-worthy. He dons a passable Wild West accent, but also packs the 007 punch in a bunch of ho-hum saloon and prairie brawls.

It's a metallic clasp on his arm that makes this outlaw the talk of the town. Coupled with his uncouth rivalry with the rascally Percy (Paul Dano, quite the scamp), the son of the menacing rancher and war veteran Woodrow (Harrison Ford at his most crotchety), John comes under the scrutiny of many. A fey but daring woman, Ella (otherworldly Olivia Wilde), takes particular interest in the newcomer, all pleading eyes and pursing lips.

But suddenly, the town ain't big enough for two species and "demons" make an airborne strike on the people.

Many are abducted, some are vaporized and some, especially Woodrow, try to blast the froggy invaders to smithereens. With their loved ones captured, a brave group sets forth to recover their kin. The auxiliary roles are the more engaging ones, with Sam Rockwell playing an amusing, wimpy doctor and Clancy Brown gallivanting as a tough but forgiving church proprietor.

Allegories and tired conflicts start flying like bullets. The cowboys meet with their old nemeses, the Indians, in scenes that'll have modern moviegoers shaking their heads. That such blatant stereotyping still thrives in a film cobbled by professionals who have proven elsewhere they're above that sort of thing is extremely disappointing. (Plus, haven't we seen such dumb politicking from Ford before when he was hanging out with Ewoks? Why retread here?) All this insulting posturing does is take away from the real excitement when the gang goes toe to toe with the aliens.

Of course, the intergalactic villains aren't much to write home about either. Again, for the pedigree of talent involved with the film, why do these creatures look like swampy rejects from an early episode of "The X-Files"? To boot, these guys are space prospectors. The reason they're here? To mine gold! Too bad all one really finds in "Cowboys & Aliens" is the regurgitated raw hide of Favreau et al's previous projects.

"Cowboys & Aliens." Rated: PG-13. Running time: 1 hour, 58 minutes. 2.5 stars.

To find out more about Melissa Bobbitt and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.